


The Dance

by mohinikapuahi



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Coda, Episode Tag, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, episode:s01e13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-20
Updated: 2011-06-26
Packaged: 2017-10-20 14:20:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/213684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mohinikapuahi/pseuds/mohinikapuahi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What I would have liked to have seen, between the tasering and the fridge raiding.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Danny opens the throttle on the camaro and lets it’s power chew up the miles between his flea pit apartment and Castle McGarrett. He didn’t know who he’d pissed off in a past life but for some reason he seemed to be hard wired to Commander Super Seal. Which at times wasn’t such a bad thing, but for the last hour the hairs on the back of his neck had been standing on end. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. So now here he was at Dawn’s ass crack paying scant regard to the traffic laws and checking on his partner.

The sun was just beginning to crest the horizon as he pulled into Steve’s driveway. Stopping the car he sat for a moment, sure that he was about to make an idiot of himself, until he looked up at the house. The front door was wide open. Even for Super Seal and his lax view of household security that was not right. Slipping his gun from its holster he climbed out of the car and carefully ran up the stairs and slowly into the house. His heart was in his mouth as he saw Steve sprawled on the floor near his father’s desk. Resisting the urge to go to his partner's side he moved quickly and efficiently through the lower level of the house. Danny checked every room and had his foot on the bottom step to check upstairs before movement startled him.

“Gone…” Steve’s voice croaked from the office floor.

Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Danny didn't even glance back to where Steve lay.“Since you’re on the floor and I don’t particularly want to join you, pardon me if I don’t check just in case.” he responded, and took the stairs two at a time making a cursory check of the upstairs level before returning to find Steve struggling to push himself upright.

“What are you doing, tough guy?” Danny pushed him back down to the floor, running his hands all over Steve’s arms, and across the back of his head.

“Gotta get up.” He moaned as Danny’s fingers probed the large bruise beginning to flare on the side of Steve’s neck.

“That can wait a few minutes….Taser huh? Not fun. Been there got the tee shirt. Remind me to tell you some time.” He murmured, he knew he was babbling but his relief was overflowing, his fingers moved to run carefully over Steve’s torso, noting every flinch, before he exhaled slowly and helped Steve to sit upright, his hands not yet working with their usual grace.

“Fknhurts.” Steve closed his eyes as the world swam around him.

“We should take you the hospital.” Danny straddled Steve’s outstretched legs and caught his chin in his hand. Shaking his head as he looked into Steve’s dilated and bloodshot eyes, his thumb caressed the slight bruise on his jaw. Watching Steve's struggle to regain his senses and fine motor skills more quickly than his body was willing to, was difficult, vulnerable Steve wasn't someone Danny often saw. “They really did a number on you.”

“They took the box.” Steve sighed leaning into the tender touch.

“We’ll get it back.” Danny ran his hands through his hair. “They could have killed you. Do you understand that? They could have come in here and killed you. Couldn’t you have stayed in bed and called for back up? Would it have killed you to think about someone else for a change? Did you even think about what finding you here like that would do to us? To me?”

“They didn’t.” Steve shrugged painfully.

“Did I say it was time for you to talk? No, I don’t think I did. This is my turn. I do not want to have to come here and find you dead on the floor. I’m too old to be breaking in a new partner. And I’m sure as hell not done with this dance that we’re always doing.”  
“Dance?” Steve frowned.

“Ssssh. I didn’t say your turn yet tough guy. I’m tired of this two steps forward one step back crap. I’m tired of the whole touch, don’t touch thing. I’m really, really tired of dancing around you and all your insane habits and tendencies and not have any right to do what I really fucking want to do. Most of all I’m really, really sick of being so damned confused because you’ve turned me into the gayest straight man on Oahu.” Danny stood and walked across the room, pulling his hand through his hair.

“You can talk now Steven.” He sighed.

“Here I was thinking that I was the gayest straight man on Oahu.”

“Are you mocking me Steven?” Danny turned to look at him as he was struggling to get to his feet, and even as Danny scolded him he still moved to help Steve to his feet and move him to sit on the nearest seat. “Mocking is not a cool thing McGarrett. Not when I have broken every traffic law in the book to get here and then lay my heart bare to you.”

“Not mocking.” Steve responded quietly. “Wait? Traffic laws?”

“Yes, Mr Tough Guy, I couldn’t shake a feeling that something was up and you didn’t answer your phone and I get here and lo and behold you can’t even go to bed without performing some sort of secret ninja shit and just as an amusing byproduct trying to scare me half to death.”

“I take calculated risks Danny, I don’t do secret ninja shit. I do what I’ve been trained to do. I do my job.” Steve let his elbows rest on his knees and held his head in his hands.

“Just this once, Steven, you get a pass, I know you feel like crap, I’m going to fix that in a minute by the way, but I want you to know that I want all your faculties about you when we have this discussion. But in future can you please have some consideration for the people who love you when you ‘do your job’.”


	2. Verbal Tango

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't resist adding Danny's promised 'discussion' in which he gets a little agitated.

Late one evening Danny sat at his desk poring over a forensic report when Steve pushed open his door and entered his office. Danny ignored him. Folding his long frame into the chair in front of Danny’s desk he crossed one leg over the other and slouched back comfortably.

“To what do I owe this pleasure, Steven?” Danny asked without looking up.

“It’s been a month, Daniel.” He stated softly.

“What has?” Danny asks innocently. He knows exactly what Steve is talking about. It’s been thirty days, twelve hours and a handful of minutes since he had promised a longer discussion with the crazy man who now sat in front of him, and judging by the look on his face, he apparently thought he currently had the upper hand.

“since you told me that I needed to be fully in control of my faculties for you to explain.” Steve responded with a half grin.

“Well clearly, action man, that hasn’t happened yet, ergo we haven’t had said discussion. So could you please leave me be so I can continue to read this report.”

“Nope.” Steve answered.

“Nope? What the hell kind of answer is that. I am Working. I know you have no regard for paperwork but somebody has to do it.”

“Stop stalling, Danny.” Steve moved until he had both feet on the floor in front of him, his knees spread wide. Every time Danny looked up the first thing he saw was Steve’s lap, more specifically his crotch.

“Just stop it alright. This fucking ridiculous mating dance has to stop. The positioning of your...your...package in my line of sight? It might work with your women, but it won’t work with me. No matter how well packaged it is. There’s a problem here. I’m straight. And I’m pretty sure you are too.”

“Danny” Steve spoke.

“What have I told you? When I am speaking to you Do not interrupt? I don’t care if you have turned on your adorable puppy face. Don’t interrupt.”

“I don’t have puppy face.” Steve protested.

“Steven.” Danny pointed at him

“Ok shutting up.” Steve smiled.

“I’m straight, Steven. I like girls. Women. And they like me. But not since I’ve met you. Every single woman I meet now, doesn’t measure up. Why? Why for God’s sake are there no women on this island that I find as attractive as I find you. I blame you.”

“Why is it my fault?” Steve asked quietly.

“How the fuck should I know? This isn’t supposed to make sense to you, it doesn’t make sense to me. Hell that would probably mean that it’s crystal clear to you, you, big sexy goof.” Danny ranted, standing and punctuating every sentence with a wave of his hands.

“Sexy?” Steve smiled.

“Oh for God’s sake, that would be the one word you would fixate on, you egomaniac. Yes sexy. With all those rippling muscles and cut abs, and you could crack walnuts with your ass did you know that. Of course you fucking did.”

“Babe, you need to calm down.” Steve spoke, glancing out the at the bullpen where Kono and Chin had long since given up pretending to be listening and appeared to be grinning gleefully as their heads pinged from one 'combatant' to the other.

“Don’t Babe me.” Danny waved his arms wildly. “Do you have any idea how stimulating it is to argue with you? It's ridiculous that's what it is. Or for that matter do you know how disconcerting it is to be jacking off and have your favourite fantasy turn into your partner? “ Danny sank into his chair as he looked up into the grinning faces of the rest of the team outside the window, who suddenly found something else to do. “Not nearly as embarrassing as admitting it in front of the entire team apparently. Just get out Steven and let me die in peace.”

Steve sat there for a long moment, his face split in what Danny liked to call his ‘Shit Eating Grin Face.’ Before he leaned forward and pressed both hands on the edge of Danny’s desk.

“This isn’t over, Danny. Next time, I speak. You Listen.” He spoke softly before he went back to his own office.


	3. Ho’oipoipo ‘ana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve finally gets his say.

It had been a really bad week. Steve leaned back in the chair, wincing as his bruised ribs protested the movement. Stretching his legs out in front of him, he sighed softly and turned his total attention back to the bed in front of him. Danny was even paler than normal, a bandage swathed his chest and left shoulder. Steve closed his eyes unable to stop the events of the morning replaying through his head.

It was supposed to have been a routine bust. Five-0 had no pressing cases so in an act of professional courtesy they were assisting HPD with a drug bust in a port warehouse. It all seemed to be going so well, until one of the officers triggered a trip wire. All of his team had been far enough away that they weren’t in the kill zone but they hadn’t gotten off scot free. Two HPD officers had died.

Steve closed his eyes as he remembered.

The blast was still ringing in his ears and it took him a moment to gather himself, but, as always his first thought once he realised that he was still in one piece himself was Danny. They had been on the edge of the building, just inside the outer wall of the warehouse and away from the heart of the explosion. The last time he saw Chin and Kono they had been in a similar position on the other side of the warehouse.

“Danny?” he called, he had been just behind him. “Danny, answer me babe.” He had called. When there was no response, he had gotten shakily to his feet and backtracked.

A huge chunk of the building had been blown away behind them, the opening served as a vent for the acrid black smoke that was filling the building and burning Steve’s eyes. It didn’t take long for him to come up with a worst case scenario and he realised what had happened. Steve poked his head past the edge of the hole and hadn’t quite been able to contain his fear and absolute blind panic when he saw that he had been right. The blast had thrown Danny off the edge of the pier, and he could see him unconscious and floating face down in the murky waters by the pier.

Steve hadn’t thought twice. He had rolled through the hole and straight into a dive. When he surfaced it took two strokes for him to reach Danny. Rolling him onto his back, he grimaced at the bruising already formed on the side of Danny’s face. Pressing his fingers against Danny’s throat, bile rose in his throat, hot tears on his lashes when he couldn’t feel anything. Frantically dog paddling, he grabbed Danny by the straps of his vest and then swam towards the ladder.

By the time he got to the ladder, two HPD officers were already climbing down and dragged Danny’s limp lifeless body to the top, Steve was not far behind them, dropping to his knees at Danny’s side, water streaming from his body as he quickly pulled Danny’s vest open. Ignoring everything around him, his sole focus was keeping his partner alive. The officers ran in search of EMS and Steve started CPR.

What seemed like hours later, two paramedics pushed Steve away and took over Danny’s care. Chin and Kono, soot covered and anxious found them as he was pacing, frightened to take his eyes off Danny for fear he would lose him. The paramedics quickly bundled him into an ambulance and lights blaring ferried him to the hospital.

He brushed aside Chin and Kono’s assurances and drove the Camaro to the hospital, lights flashing and taking every short cut he knew.

Shaking the horrific memories away, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked straight into Danny’s bleary blue eyes.

“Hey.” Danny croaked.

“Hey yourself.” Steve leaned forward, his hand reaching out to touch Danny’s fingers where they lay atop the bedclothes that covered him.

“You ‘kay?” Danny turned his hand over to lace his fingers with Steve’s.

“I’m fine.” Steve answered, letting his thumb trace the back of Danny’s hand. “You scared the fuck out of me, Danno.”

“Good. Now you know what it feels like you asshole.” He barely nodded, the pain in his head closing his eyes at the movement.

“I need to apologise, by the way.” Steve started. “I broke a couple of your ribs, when I was hauling your ass out of the water.”

“Remind me to kick your ass when I’m upright again.” Danny winced but with no malice in his words.

“I thought I was going to lose you before I even had you.” Steve spoke nervously.

“Really, Steven, you’re going to do this now?” Danny cracked one eye to glare at him.

“Well, I figure, you’re not quite yourself, so I might actually get a word in.” he grinned, suddenly at ease for the first time since the explosion.

“Probably….” Danny closed his eyes briefly before opening them to look at Steve.

“I’m not sure where to start so I’m just going to speak, okay?” He waited for a slight nod from Danny before he continued, “I’m not one for attachments. Dad and Mary were all I have had for a long time. We were close but we weren’t. You know that. Even girlfriends aren’t something that I keep around. You know that. You know what I had with Catherine.”

“Rambo-ette?” Danny nodded his understanding.

“But then you come along. From that very first day in the garage, you have gotten under my skin. “ Steve paused trying to gather his thoughts. “First I thought it was just a brotherly thing, you know the brother I’ve never had, but you were more than that. I can’t stand a day without you in it. I hate it when I’m alone in a car. You’re the other half of me. I want to show you the islands, and make you love them the way I do, but if you want to go back to New Jersey, that could be alright too. I just want to be with you.”

“I can’t take you away from this.” Danny murmured.

“Before you ask, I don’t know why and I don’t know how, but we’ll make this work if you want it. I’ve never done this before and I’m damned sure you’re the only one. No one does it for me like you do. And before you ask, I won’t be like any girlfriend you have ever had. Just like you won’t be like any girlfriend I’ve ever had. We’re men for fuck’s sake. But I can say I’ll be the loyalist, most trustworthy partner you have ever had and I’ll always have your back.”

“Can’t ask for more than that.” Danny agreed.


	4. Honihoni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when seals feel

Danny sat on Steve’s sofa, waiting patiently for him to retrieve new beers. It had been two weeks since their revelations and Steve had been nothing but a gentleman. He had been polite and concerned and never so much as touched him. Frankly it was getting a little old. He sighed as he listened to Steve’s return. He dropped his legs from the coffee table to let Steve pass, and took the Longboard when it was offered to him.

Steve settled back onto the sofa, sitting close enough to Danny that their hips touched. Placing his own beer on the table he turned to face Danny, one long arm along the back of the sofa, his fingertips brushing Danny’s hair.

“We need to talk Danny.” Steve stated softly.

“Thank fuck for that. I was starting to think we were never going to talk.” Danny sighed.

“We talk everyday.” Steve frowned.

“Yes we talk everyday, about the weather, about the car, about cases, about Grace. About every fucking microcosm in the Universe, but never about us.” Danny ranted.

“Because I’m scared Danny.” Steve spoke softly, not quite meeting Danny’s eyes.

“What the fuck are you scared of? You throw yourself in front of bullets, off cliffs, grenades and any manner of small ordnance but Super Seal is afraid of talking to me?” Danny’s arms were waving wildly as he spoke incredulously, “What the fuck have I ever done to make you afraid of talking to me?”

“You don’t get it do you?” Steve sighed, his fingers twisting in the softly curling hair at Danny’s nape.

“You’re going to have to enlighten me big boy.” Danny shook his head.

“It’s one thing to confess, our….,”

“You know it’s perfectly acceptable to admit you have feelings.” Danny almost smiled at Steve’s reticence to admit that softness.

“Ok, feelings.” Steve swallowed tightly, “But it’s something else all together to act on it. We work together. I love working with you almost as much as I love you. I’m fucking ridiculously bad at relationships to the point where I have never done long term romantic relationships, three weeks is my top. Catherine is different. She’s just like me, she doesn’t want hearts and flowers just a good fuck every now and again to take the edge off. What if I fuck us up, how hard do you think it will be to work together?” He paused to take a breath, “And then there’s the rest of it. Neither of us has ever so much as really kissed a guy before, let alone any further. What if we get to that and we don’t like/can’t do it and that fucks over our working relationship.”

“Super Seal, slow down.” Danny laughed. “Nothing is set in stone. We’re big boys. We can deal with whatever happens. For the record I’m looking forward to exploring all our avenues. I thought you were to.”

“Of course I am.” Steve lifted a hand to cover Danny’s stubble covered cheek, his thumb caressing Danny’s face gently. “But I’m pissing my pants terrified that I am going to fuck us up and too much is riding on us working, professionally and personally.”

“Is that your only issue?” Danny reached out to place a hand on Steve’s nervously bouncing knee, stopping it’s motion and gently caressing while he left it there.

“Isn’t that enough?” Steve sighed relaxing back against the sofa and closing his eyes.

Danny watched him for a long moment before he stood and moved to stand in the middle of the room.

“Open your eyes, Steven.” He spoke softly, not speaking again until Steve was looking at him. “I understand, truly I do, but we’re big enough and ugly enough to sort this out on all those levels. I want you to do something for me.”

“Anything, you know that.” Steve sat on the edge of the sofa and watched Danny intently.

“I want you to come here and kiss me. I’ve waited months to feel your kisses. Please don’t make me wait anymore.”

“What if….” Steve started as he stood and moved closer.

“No what if’s. Stop overthinking it. Just get your fine ass over here and lay one on me Steven. Everything starts with this.”

“Way to take the pressure off, asshole.” Steve smirked as he stepped into Danny’s personal space.  
Ducking his head, he let his lips brush across Danny’s for a chaste kiss, one hand moving to cup the back of Danny’s neck. Steve hovered there for long minutes, his eyes closed, breathing deeply inhaling the slightly musky citrusy smell that was Danny. His fingertips softly massaged Danny’s skull as he let himself absorb the essence of Danny.

“You know.” Danny murmured almost breathlessly, “This could be creepy if it wasn’t so hot.”

His words were a soft exhalation of warm breath on Steve’s skin. Steve’s lashes brushed against Danny’s cheek as his face creased into a smile.

“Do you ever shut up?” Steve murmured as he closed the last millimeters of distance between their lips. His tongue brushed slowly against the crease of Danny’s lips, tasting the beer he had just swallowed, before he lifted his other hand to cup Danny’s cheek, his thumb brushed across Danny’s cheekbone as Danny’s lips parted.

His tongue slid into Danny’s mouth. It glided slowly across his teeth before meeting Danny’s tongue in a slow languorous dance of discovery and introduction. Letting Steve take point, Danny slid his arms around Steve’s waist and melted against his partner.

Holding Danny’s head with both hands, his fingertips caressing his scalp with the same delicacy he would a Faberge egg, Steve broke their kiss and trailed a string of wet open mouthed kisses all over Danny’s face before returning to his lips.

The need for oxygen was the only thing that separated them. And even then it wasn’t far. Steve rested his forehead against Danny’s and closed him in a tight hug. Aroused and breathless he couldn’t trust his voice to speak. He was content to hold Danny as he had wanted to for what seemed like half his life.

“Damn.” Danny murmured against his chest.

“You didn’t like that?” Steve closed his eyes and started to pull away, convinced he had ruined their fledgling relationship.

Danny let his hands drop and catching Steve by the hips, pulled him until their hips were flush against each other, swaying his hips slightly nudging the proof of their mutual arousal together.

“So that’s a yes?” the corners of his lips turned up.

“Far as I can tell that’s a big yes.” Danny leaned back and waggled his eyebrows lasciviously.

“Slow, Danny, we’re taking things slowly.” Steve sighed, somehow expecting a fight from his partner. “Before you get your tie in a tangle. This is new for both of us, I’m not going to fuck it up rushing. You’re going to be my lover for the rest of my life. I want to court you. Properly.”

“Babe last time I looked this wasn’t medieval Europe and I’m not a quivering virgin locked in a tower. I don’t need courting.” Danny almost laughed at the stoic sincerity in Steve’s voice.

“I know you don’t need it. I want to do this right okay. Can’t we do things slowly. What will it hurt? I want to do this properly. I want so much for us, but I want it to be right.”

“I guess I can work with that.” Danny nodded. “On one condition.”

“What’s that?” Steve frowned.

“I get more of those kisses. Starting now.” Danny smiled as he tilted his head back.

“I can do that.” Steve grinned as he dipped his head, capturing Danny’s lips with his own.


End file.
